


Invader Zim Oneshots

by sad_cat



Category: Invader Zim
Genre: :D, Developing Relationship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, all of them are connected, dib is sad lol, dibs like 'oh hey lets go into the forest this is fine', gir is there too, im a really slow writer and i have a bigger story im workin on so slow updates, kinda angst?, mostly just dib dragging zim into the forest and zim doesnt say anything because he touch starved, mostly just emotional angst, there might be more???, they are just vibin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 10:35:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21967924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sad_cat/pseuds/sad_cat
Summary: EDIT: THIS IS DISCONTINUED IM SORRYdib drags zim around and zim doesn't say shit because hes touch starved. no im not projecting onto these characters whatever do you mean
Relationships: Dib/Zim (Invader Zim)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 61





	1. Carol of the Bells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hee hoo lSITEN TO THIS WHILE YOU READ IT WAS THE WHOLE INSPO FOR THIS  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SztCsmvhak4

While listening to carol of the bells

i had a great idea for a little one-shot... (involving my personal favorite, zim and dib)

..............

A knock at the door.

"PIIZZAAA!" the little robot shrieked. Gir always ordered a pizza before he shut down for the night, and Zim had no choice but to allow it if he wanted to work in peace for a few hours. He begrudgingly opened the front door, only to find none other than Dib Membrane, his 'sworn-enemy.'

"Eh?! WHAT is the meaning of this visit Dib-stink?" the alien inquired.

"What size shoe are you?" the boy asks, rifling through his black duffel bag.

"Why does that matter?" Zim asked, crossing his skinny arms.

"Answer the question Zim." Dib said with such intensity you'd think the whole world depended on it.

"Eh- size..6. Women's..." Zim muttered, almost ashamed of himself.

"Perfect, you're the same shoe size as Gaz. Which means we're good. Now let's go." Dib replied, taking a firm grasp on Zim's upper arm.

"Eh? What is the meaning of this Dib-stink?" Zim growled as he struggled to get out of Dib's grasp. Supposedly, Dib was either extremely determined to get Zim to go somewhere or he'd suddenly grown much stronger than Zim. Zim decided to follow the Dib, maybe he was leading Zim to a secret hideout where Dib would surrender himself to Zim.

Through back alleys and along rocky paths, Dib tugged Zim harder with each twist and turn.

"Dib-stink," Zim said, digging his heels into the frozen ground at the start of a dark path into the nearby forest, "Where in all of Irk are you taking Zim?"

"Zim," muttered Dib as he stopped in his tracks and turned around, "Trust me. Please."

Something about Dib's actions and the things he said that night weren't adding up, and it didn't make sense to the alien. Where was Dib taking him? Why did he seem so...sincere? Unless he had gotten really good at faking emotions, then there was something up.

The cold wind bit at Zim's neck as he allowed himself to be dragged deeper and deeper into the forest, and an uneasy feeling settled deep within his squeedilyspooch. Finally, Dib seemed to slow down and a clearing began to open up ahead. The pair made it into the clearing and came to a standstill.

"Well...?" Dib trailed off.

"Well what? You've taken me to a puddle. I see no reason as to why you've brought me here. If you were trying to kill me with the water, I think you should know it's frozen." Zim stated, crossing his arms with disapproval.

"No, you idiot, it's not a puddle, it's a pond, and I know that's it's frozen, now sit." the scythe-haired boy commanded.

"Eh? Sit on this cold, dirty outside ground? I think not Dibshi-" Zim was cutoff by Dib grasping him firmly by the shoulder and pushing him into the ground. He immediately began to unzip his bag and pulled out two pairs of ice-skates.

"Why are there knives on those shoes?" Zim asked, unconsciously leaning away from Dib and his knife-shoes.

"They're called ice-skates. Ya put em' on your feet and you can slide across the frozen water." Dib explained and he tugged Zim's boots off. Zim seemed to have little to no problem with this action. Dib shoved Zim's three-toed feet into the leather shoes, and tied the laces tight enough that Zim could hardly feel his feet. Even if the numbness was from the cold, he still could hardly feel his toes. Dib quickly put on his own ice-skates, and helped Zim up off the ground.

"Dib-stink, are you sure about this? I am well aware that the water is frozen, but I don't think it could possibly accommodate my amazing Zimness and your massive head."

"Quit worrying Zim, look," Dib said, wrenching up a relatively large rock from the frozen ground, and tossing it haphazardly onto the frozen surface. It slid all the way across the frozen pond, and stopped when it bumped the bank on the other side. "It's fine." Dib reassured Zim, patting him on top of his head, right between where his antennae would be under his scratchy wig. What the pair didn't see, however, was across the pond the rock had fallen through a thin place in the ice. Nothing to worry about though, it was thicker in the middle. They would be fine, just like Dib had said.

Dib gracefully slid onto the ice, appearing to have done this many times before, while on the bank Zim was still struggling to stand straight without his ankles bending inwards or outwards.

"C'mon Space-bug!" Dib called out cheerfully, "Scared of a bit of frozen water?"

"NONSENSE!" Zim called back, "Zim is scared of nothing!" He said this with such confidence that he stepped onto the ice without hesitation, gliding only a few feet until he lost his balance and was soon windmilling his arms to try and stay standing. Dib began laughing so hard that he nearly fell over with Zim. Just as Zim was about to fall hard on his alien butt, Dib swooped in and snatched the alien out of the air.

"ACK! Dib-monkey if you drop me I will punt your measly human body into the sun!" Zim threatened, but his threat obviously was a reflex as his eyes were trained upon Dib's skates. Dib gently put the smaller male down on his feet, but still clutched onto his clawed hand. "What is the meaning of th-"

"Stop asking so many questions, Space-bug. I'm trying to teach you here." Dib interrupted. "Watch my feet. Push off with one foot, balance with the other. Push, balance, push, balance." he explained, Zim watching intently and copying his every move. Soon enough, Zim was gliding along just as easily as Dib. The two skated circles around each other, laughing and playing and making a game of it. As they played, thin spiderweb cracks began to form along the surface of the ice, nearly invisible until you actually looked at it. Each glide was another chisel in the ice, but they had nothing to fear, they would be perfectly fine.

The two spun a large spiral around the edges, simultaneously getting closer and closer to the center of the pond. Very quickly, they were in the middle, spinning fast circles around each other. Staring at each other's grinning faces, eyes locked in a battle to see who could stay standing the longest. Faster and faster, the circles got tighter and the boys got closer and closer, close enough to feel the other's warm breath on their faces. Zim's eyes sparkled in the moonlight, seeming bigger than ever. Then, Dib suddenly came to a halt, nearly toppling Zim as he came full circle.

"Dib stink, what-"

"Shut it!... Do you hear that?" Dib asked, his face going serious for a moment. The only sound Zim heard was his own panting breath and Dib's. Then, a new sound. Like something...cracking. The Dib's eyes immediately shot own to his feet, and when he noticed who the cracks got to first it was too late.

"ZIM!" Dib cried as the ice beneath Zim's feet gave way and the small Irken was plunged into the icy water. He flung off his black trench coat and shucked his skates as he lost sight of Zim in the depths. Without hesitation, he plunged himself into the hole, eyes wide open in search of the familiar tunic. It was entirely black under the water, and the cold gave Dib a shock like he'd been electrocuted. A flash of color caught the corner of his eye, and he turned to see Zim flailing helplessly. Dib quickly snatched Zim by the tunic and swam to the surface, his hold on his own breath beginning to shorten. Dib popped out of the hole, and struggled to get Zim out of the water and onto the ice that had betrayed him only minutes ago. He then pulled himself out of the hole, and grabbed his coat and speedily wrapped Zim in it. He then hacked up quite a few mouthfuls of water himself before turning all him attention to Zim. The alien was pale and shuddering like a leaf in a storm. Dib tried to press down on his stomach, but then remembered that Irkens only had one organ, and Dib had never gotten the chance to see Zim's innards. Not that he wanted to, all he wanted was a better understanding of the anatomy.

Which would be pretty helpful right now, Dib thought as he searched Zim's face for any sign of life. The alien's wig had long since been snatched off, and his antennae were limp.

If only he knew where to push and where the get the water out, then maybe... maybe he wouldn't be sitting on the ice, cradling the only living creature that ever noticed him.

"Zim..?" Dib whimpered, "Zim? Please, please please please don't leave me. I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I never should've-" Dib's shoulders shuddered as he heaved out sob. God, why did this always happen to him? Why was everything against him? He just wanted to hang out with Zim, maybe even-

"D-dib-stink?"

"Zim? Oh my god, ZIM!" Dib whole face lit up at the sight of the white contacts. Zim then promptly leaned over and threw up more than enough water than one should inhale. His PAK whirred and sputtered and is tried to heat him up, also heating Dib's legs in the process.

"Dib, you idiot." Zim murmured, his eyes fluttering as he leaned into Dib's chest. Dib hugged him as close as possible and slowly made his way back to Zim's house, skates and bag completely forgotten.

...

and then dib gave zim noodle soop and everyone was happy. and zim gets dib to do lots of favor for him now because of this incident. :DDDD

MERRY CARPET!


	2. Will o' Wisps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this took forever honestly but i still kinda love how it came out!!

Taking careful steps up the walkway, a reflex left over from a time when gnomes would shoot at him for his every move. The gnomes had long since been deactivated, but he was still wary. He knocked on the door, right beneath the men's bathroom sign that had been hanging there since day one.

"Dib-thing! You have shown up at my doorstep yet again, and I expect that it is NOT to fight Zim to the death?"

The lanky human shifted uncomfortably where he stood, coffee cup in hand, expecting the reaction but not necessarily planning for it.

"Actually I was going to offer you to come with me to go cryptid hunting in the forest, but since you seem to _obviously_ not want to come with, I guess I'll just be leaving.." Dib sighed and began to turn away to leave.

"Who said Zim did not wish to join you? Give me one sMINGULAR earth minute Dib-thing, I must prepare." the alien said cryptically.

The door slammed in his Dib's face yet again and he stood idle while Zim 'prepared', whatever in the fresh hell that could mean. On the other side of the door, Zim was plastered against a wall while thinking. The last time Dib dragged him away in the middle of the night he nearly died, so just how much could he trust _really_ Dib? Then again, Dib never meant to let Zim fall into the water, and Zim lived, being saved by the human. One downside, however, was the fact that Zim apparently 'owed him back' since Dib saved his life.

"Why must I worry over such styuuupid things." Zim muttered to himself. He didn't really need to get anything to 'prepare' since his PAK had everything he needed already. Just a bit of time to stall. Zim slammed the door open once again with the same amount of gusto as the first time.

"Oh, so I guess you're coming," Dib said, already halfway down the walkway.

"YOU WERE GOING TO LEAVE WITHOUT ZIM HOW DARE YOU."

"Just get your alien ass in gear, stinkbug." Dib muttered, turning and continuing on. Zim took large steps to catch up with Dib, and continued to take over-dramatic steps, swinging his lanky but short legs around semi-wildly.

"Bro, can you just..like chill out." Dib said after watching Zim do his weird army/military walk.

"ZIM does not NEED to CHILL OUT." Zim snarled, immediately calming down and walking normally. "Where is the Urth monkey even taking Zim anyway?"

"Oh, some weird glowy things were spotted in one of the forests nearby and I wanted to check it out." Dib explained, taking a sip of his drink after.

"So," Zim said, pausing to look up at the night sky, "has Zim become your late night adventure partner?"

Dib choked mid-sip, the question having caught him completely off guard. He realized in that instant, that Zim was right for once. He really did come to Zim in the late hours of the night.

"What? Nooo... I mean, you agreed to go so-" Dib explained, wiping his face anxiously.

"ZIM WILL HAVE NONE OF THIS NONSENSE GET TO THE POINT." the alien shouted, waving his arms maniacally .

Contemplating denying everything, Dib huffed, "Yea you're right."

"MUHAYAHAYEASESYESYESYES YES! THE DIB THING HAS ADMITTED DEFEAT! NOW ZIM SHALL RULE!" Zim yelled triumphantly, stopping to do a dance of victory. Staring down at his coffee, then back at the alien celebrating on the sidewalk, Dib started to regret asking Zim to tag along. Taking another long swig of coffee, he stared at Zim laughing for a second, and turned away to continue on his route. He had a test in the morning and his dad would kill him (in real life) if he missed it.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING WITHOUT THE ALMIGHTY ZIM?" the alien called.

"THESE GHOSTS AREN'T GOING TO FIND THEMSELVES, ZIM!"

Zim huffed angrily and caught up to Dib once more. The pair walked for a while, their silence interspersed with a few questions from Zim, and some awkward conversation starters from Dib. All of which ended horribly, as you could possibly tell. The pair soon came upon the border of the forest Dib was aiming for, sometime around 1 am.

"So where are these ghostie-goos you speak of? Zim sees none!" Zim exclaimed annoyingly, crossing his arms.

"Zim I- they don't just come out. And you can't see them. We have to find them, idiot." Dib smoothed his hair nervously.

"ZIM IS NO IDIOT."

"Whatever, space-bug." Dib muttered and continued on into the forest. Zim reluctantly followed him. Dib could barely see a thing, and had forgotten a flashlight. Zim had a small one in his PAK, a single appendage extending over his head. The light had a small reach and didn't do much. The forest was cold and quiet, no rustling coming from bushes, no animals rooting through the leaf litter, nothing. It was eerie, and Dib was on edge. Zim's antennae were pricked up as far as they could go from under his wig, listening intently for anything that might be a threat.

Coming upon a large circular stump in the middle of a clearing, Dib pulled his bag around and began setting up a spirit box, among various other ghost detecting devices that blinked and beeped.

"Alright, so now we just-" he started, stopping mid-sentence when he turned around, and realized that Zim had disappeared.

"Zim?" Dib called. "I swear to god if you pop out of somewhere and scare me, I'll dissect you."

Nothing.

"Zim, this isn't funny!" Dib shouted. The forest replied with silence once more. Had Zim just turned around and left without telling him? Dib wouldn't hold it against him if the alien did so. However, it wasn't like him to just...sneak off.

"Zim?" Dib repeated.

Nothing.

"Alright Zim, that's it, I'm done playing your games. When I find you I'm going to dissect you for real." Dib grumbled, forgetting his gear and storming off into the gaping void of the forest.

...

Zim stared at the thing in front of him. A small, glowing ball of blue fire. Entranced, he reached out to grab it. Only for it to disappear right before his gloved claws could touch it. Snarling in frustration, he looked up to see another, glowing only a few feet away. Zim watched as a yet another one of them lit up, leading a bit deeper into the forest. He reached out to capture the closest orb, and when that one disappeared he snarled again. Taking a closer look, Zim noticed that a trail of the glowing orbs began to manifest, leading him off deeper into the forest.

 _A trap! No way! No Urth spirit shall fool the MIGHTY ZIM!_ Zim thought triumphantly. He turned around to go back to the clearing, when a voice rang through the trees. Stopping in his tracks, Zim lifted his fake wig to allow his antennae to peek upwards.

There was more than one voice. They seemed so familiar... Zim's gaze dashed around the area, looking for the source.

"Dib? Dib-thing?" Zim shouted. "Dib, I swear to Irk if you push a trick on Zim..." he continued, aware that he was using the idiom incorrectly, hoping in vain to get Dib to pop out and correct him like always. Who's voices were those? They felt so close...

The Tallest! What were they doing on Earth?

 _Why haven't I been notified?_ Zim thought, searching frantically for his leaders. Eyes landing upon the trail of glowing blue orbs, the voices grew louder and louder. Zim dashed forward, his brief search for Dib completely forgotten. He was going to show his leaders that yes, he was capable, and yes, he was going to conquer the planet for them, and yesyesyes he was the very best invader.

Sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him, he followed the trail of blue wisps. Just a few more, and he would surely find his leaders! Zim paid no attention to where he placed his feet, crushing twigs and leaves as he ran. Which is most likely the reason he tripped over a looped root and fell flat on his face. Groaning, Zim righted himself and stood up. Brushing the dirt and leaves off his no longer pristine uniform, he took a second to look at his surroundings.

_Floop._

Zim realized he had no idea where he was, or how to get out. His leaders were nowhere to be seen, or heard for that matter. Their voices had disappeared, along with the blue orbs. He spun in confused circles, attempting to trace his way back through memory, but only ended realizing that last few minutes- hours? - had been a blur. Surrounded by trees, Zim realized that, duh, he had PAK legs and he could just go up. So he did.

Only to find that the trees stretched on for as far as he could see.

...

Dib brushed yet another branch out his face, wiping his face of the dirt that had manifested there. He'd been trudging through mud and bushes for who knows how long at that point. He'd lost track of time, and his throat was sore from calling Zim's name over and over again.

Pausing to look around, Dib realized that there might be a slim chance that maaaaaybe...he was lost.

 _I should've just turned around when I had the chance.._ Dib thought. He wandered towards a thick tree and slumped down against the bark. He could feel the weights on his eyelids dragging down him, beckoning him to sink into the delights of unconsciousness, but falling asleep in an unfamiliar forest was almost a death sentence in his world.

As bright, blue, glowing orb manifested right before his eyes, he swore he must've fallen asleep and was dreaming. Opening his eyes wider, the orb floated upwards, beckoning him to follow.

"Wait! That's what I need!" Dib shouted to no one. He then realized that even if he was dreaming, he could at least live out his goals somewhere. Scrambling up, he grabbed at his camera that was looped around his neck. Bringing it up to his face, he let the camera focus. He slowly let it retreat back down as he saw that the orb has become farther away. He then realized that he would have to most likely chase the thing, as per his many other paranormal outings. Dib tried to sneak closer to the thing as to not alert it, but it seemed to already know what he was thinking and floated around a tree.

"Dammit, can never catch a break with these stupid things.." Dib muttered quietly, climbing a fallen tree to follow the orb. He turned the corner and saw a whole trail of the things, lighting up the otherwise dark forest.

"Holy shit.." Dib breathed, slowly pulling up his camera. Snapping a picture, it showed the trail of blue orbs clearly and perfectly. This trip had gotten much, much better. Walking forwards slowly, he reached out to touch the nearest one. It felt hot and cold at the same time, before it fizzled out. Dib pulled his hand back quickly and held it close. Staring at it, nothing appeared to have happened. He looked up, where the blue flames seemed to beg him to come closer.

Inching closer to the next wisp, a sudden shout made him jump.

"Dib!"

It was his father's voice. Looking around for the source, Dib called for his father a few times, only for his name to be called again and again. He instinctively started off in the direction the voice was coming. He picked up another sound, one he'd heard many times.

"Zim?" Dib said, turning in the complete opposite direction. "What's going on? Where are you?" His father called again, the sound becoming garbled and distorted. "It's messing with my head!" he breathed, spinning back to where he'd heard Zim. The alien called for him again, Dib turned and ran in the direction it came from. The blue orbs followed, appearing next to him as he ran. The trail in front of him was now filled with the flickering forms of the wisps, covering the ground. Indistinguishable voices screamed for him as he sprinted. Blue filled his peripheral vision. The wisps, once elusive and rare, filled the area entirely.

"ZIM!" Dib screamed, being nearly blinded by the glow, now choking out the darkness of the night. All he could see was the flickering of the wisps. Spinning in wild circles, trying to find a way out, he saw a gap in the blue swarm. He darted forwards, breaking through the seemingly impenetrable wall of blue. Running faster and faster, he tried to escape the blue cloud behind. Once Dib realized that the wisps weren't following him, he slowed until he came to a stop, completely and utterly lost.

"Zim... Dad... where am I?" he said to no one. Staring blankly into a patch of forest, a flash of pink darted across his vision, the same color as the irken invader's uniform. "Zim! There you are! Get over here!" Dib said, running into that direction.

"DIB!"

"I'm coming Zim, hold on!" Dib shouted in reply, running faster. He stopped and turned around to check something or other, only to see a giant wave of glowing blue heading directly for him. He screamed in pure terror, and started to sprint in the other direction. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that maybe he would wake up in his bed back at home, all of this being just a bad dream. Unfortunately for Dib, this was not a dream. His feet pounded on the dirt as he raced through the trees, missing low branches and leaping over roots.

He broke through the trees, feeling cool air rush past him.

He suddenly stopped, something hooked on his jacket. He screamed, thinking the wisps had finally caught him. Only to look at his feet, seeing they were mere inches from the edge of a steep cliff.

Dib looked at the drop beneath him, far enough to kill him. The space at the bottom was filled with thorny bushes and large boulders, and he could almost imagine his head breaking upon them. He stared blankly at his feet, mere inches away from tumbling off the edge. Rocks and dirt crumbled beneath him as he was violently yanked backwards. He looked up, seeing a single blue orb, seemingly taunting him. The orb glowing even brighter, suspended in the air a few feet away from the edge of the cliff. It dissipated into nothing, and only then did the reality of the situation sink in. He almost died. For real.

Over the horizon before him, over the line of trees that stretched on for miles and ended in a far away city, the sun began to rise. Dib looked to his right and saw Zim, looking roughed up and frantic. His antennae were pinned to his head, wig lost to the forest.

They stared at each other, both panting and breathless. It was Dib who started to laugh. He laughed because it was so stupid, he laughed because _he_ was so stupid, he laughed because if he didn't, he might start crying. Zim laughed with him, staring out as small giggles, but both ended up roaring with laughter. Neither said a word when Dib suddenly reached out and latched onto Zim with a tight hug. Zim hugged him back tightly, scared that if he let go, Dib would vanish. The pair soon stood up, and with Zim's help, they made it out of the forest. Soon, they split off into the directions of their respective houses. Somehow, Dib still made it to skool on time, and the only other person who knew he was out was Gaz. In the days that followed, neither said a word about what happened in the forest, and continued being semi-rivals. Dib liked to think that after, they started to become closer to one another, and he hoped that maybe one day, they'd stop fighting for good.


End file.
